House of Olympia (1992 - 2000)

Images:
1. House of Olympia - Installation (96). 2. "Retrieving my history" - cabinet sculpture (with books and videos from Colette life's works). 3. Boucher Colettesized (92-93). 4. To the return of chivalry and good manners (92-93). 5. Colette Mannequin (sculpture). 6. Watteau colettesized (92-93). 7. Self portrait eighteen century dress (92-93). 8. fragonard colettesized (92-93).

House of Olympia (1992 - 2000)

The rules:
RETRIEVING MY HISTORY, SELF APPROPRIATION, COLETTESIZING THE EIGHTEEN CENTURY, BRINGING BACK CHIVALRY AND GOOD MANNERS, ART THAT ELEVATES THE SPIRIT,MATCHES THE FURNITURE AND REVIVES PORTRAITURE

"At first, the rules seem tame and the conservative for an artist who has been known for using nudity and creating scandal, confronting and shocking her audiences. However, as the years go by, we understand better the origin of this new body of work. Colette states:"At a time when corruption and perversity have become commonplace and the exploitation of sex is overused, with the battle between sexes still not over, I wish The House of Olympia to stand as an Oasis in a spiritually deprived culture. Since the art world has little concience and lacks vision, art is becoming more and more like a fashion and advertising, and it is losing its power to raise conciousness and transform. What might have shocked us, and helped to liberate us, in the past, we have grown immune to. The excessive and negative use of these techniques is now producing its opposite effect. I find the return to beauty a necessity."

excerpt from article by Gianfranco Mantegna for Night Magazine, April 1997

Through The Looking Glass

"Through the Looking Glass" installation view with tableau performance. March 1991. Rempire Gallery , NYC.
(mixed media works from 70's - till 91)

Other room in exhibition 'Through the Looking Glass' . Fragments of the living environment.

More fragments from the living environment with Beautiful Dreamer Uniforms, lightboxes, photo works, etc...

Photo Album

Through the looking glass

Love in ruins

The Count and Countess celebrate the opening of Dial C for Scandal Services

Mixed media 120 x 100 x 18 inches

Photo Album

Love in ruins

The Artist And Her Muse

Part II of exhibition 'Love in Ruins / The Artist and Her muse'. Rempire Gallery, Feb 1992.

The Bath. Video still w/Jeff Koons.(Justine and a Boys Video) 79 - 91 . 4 ft x 8 ft x 4 inches
Princess Victoria Von Preusen- 4 ft by 7 ft. Sarah Bernhard, 4 x 6 ft Frida Kahlo 4 x 8 ft
Olympia, 4' x 6' in Lui the XiV outfit , ( 1993-94, mixed media)

Photo Album

The artist and her muse

The light figures 87 - 91

The Figures Look at Art, Painted Photo, 4 x 8'
In "The Figures Come to Life" (Dorsky Gallery 90') Colette continues to explore the medium of the photography and intentionally reduces her use of baroque elements enabling the viewer to focus on the figures. In this exhibition the figures are only present through their representation in large scale photographs, and the enlargement contributes to their eerie life-like quality. One of the fascinating aspects of these faceless figures is that while the elimination of the facial gestures adds to their enigmatic nature, the accentuation of their bodily expression enables us to identify with them whether we see them from the front or the back."
Richard Freithag 1989

Photo Album

The Figures Look At Art II

The House of Olympia persists its way into reality

House of Olympia persists its way into Reality. Eugenia Cucalon Gallery. Installation view. 1976

Photo Album

The House of Olympia persists its way into reality

Colette Mannequin Sculpture

Colette Mannequin Sculpture, Guggenheim Museum (photo edition)
During her reign in the House of Olympia, Colette replaced her presence in most of her installations with a "Colette Mannequin Sculpture" (First Created as a product in Justine Series ) Her performances became more like appearances in installations.

Photo Album

House of Olympia : Colette Mannequin Sculpture

House of Olympia : Windows / Public Performances

Hold on, I am on my way. Posing as Pope in windows of Oboro Galler. Montreal, Canada. 1998.

With audios of songs projected on the street - Reinventing the tableaux viviants.(photowork 24 x 24 inches)

Olympia practices being two places at one time. (instalaltion view ) Rempire Gallery. 1991. NYC

Part I and II (available in photo edition and painted photo)

Photo Album

Colette : Lightboxes - Bed series

Poses (30 years of photo performance) : Kim Foster Gallery : NYC 1999

Olympia arrives on time to Chelsea (with a broken finger). Detail of installation with Colette mannequin.

"Olympia, in the form of a life-sized mannequin sculpture, arrived on May Day as a muse-in-residence to Chelsea. She brought with her an encapsulated history of her creator and alter ego, Colette. In an exhibition of photo-documents and installations dating from 1970 to the present, Colette recorded her momentary residencies in sites ranging from Fiorucci window to the Metropolitan Museum's Egyptian galleries (Colette in the museums series)." (more in Reviews section)

excerpt from review by Richard Stephens, Art in America, 1999

From Beautiful Dreamer Uniform Series (4 ft x 6 ft) 1980

Photo Album

Poses

Colette in The Museums

Series included in 'Poses' exhibition. Kim Foster Gallery. 1999.
Colette at Hamburger Banhnhof (c-print sepia photo, edition of 20, 30 x 40 inches, also large size edition )

"Her recent performances were documented in large sepia photographs of the living Olympia, in white dress, hat and gloves, standing on her pedestal, on display in international art museums."

excerpt from review for Poses exhibition, Kim Foster Gallery NYC 1999

Richard Stephans, Art in America, 1999

Photo Album

House of Olympia : Colette in the Museums

Souvenirs
Souvenirs from the House of Olympia and models for monuments.

Broken Records

Broken Records (selected albums covers from the "Story of My Life" 97-93).

"Records from the story of my life is a ritual, Colette has been performing since the early seventies, until now. The ongoing series has included images ( recorded in the format and size of LPs ) beginning with her early installation/performances, held in well known museums and galleries as well as those created for more unorthodox venues in order to reach multi and varied audiences: the streets, shop windows, clubs and her own home".

excerpt from the Pablo's Birthday press release

Photo Album

Broken Records Exhibition

House of Olympia : Living Environment

Photo Album

House of Olympia : Living Environment

The Colette Salon in Berlin (94 - 2000)

"The Colette Salon...A Dream On Its Way..." a work in progress... was first concivied in 1994, and begun in 95, with the initial intent to create a complete work of art, a "Gesamtkunswerk". Although the work was interrupted due to lack of funding, the Colette Salon continued to exist as a show place for Colette art. Works on view included one of the Colette's pioneering photo works of the 70's The Wake of Madame Recarnie, works from the Bavarian Adventure of the late 80's, album covers (records from the story of my life'78) from the House of Olympia (92-98) as well as her latest commissioned portraits. Due to reconstruction of the Lowenpalais the Colette Salon was dismantled in 2000"

Fabric wall panels 12'' x 40'' (also exhibited in "Me, Myself and I" exhibition, Carol Johnssen Gallery, 95

Most images of public and private performances are available in photo edition or as altered photographs.
Contact Maison Lumiere for more information.

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